Page 20 of Saving Veronica
“What the hell?” Amos said, and looked at Grady. They went to say something, but waited when they heard Finn swear.
“Hold on,” Finn said, and they didn’t hear anything, until they heard him suck in his breath. “Son of a fucking bitch.”
“What?” Amos and Grady demanded at the same time.
“Twenty feet away from where I found Ronnie, I don’t know what you’d call it, a mountain lion or a cougar, but a large tan cat lying on its side with a knife sticking out of its eye. It’s dead.”
“I’m going to want the carcass to check for rabies,” Grady said.
“Fine, I’ll tell the others when they show up,” Finn said, and they could tell he was walking.
“No one else is there?”
“No,” Finn sighed. “Okay, back to her injuries. Only the lacerations on her arm on the left side. However, her right side is a mess. Here’s the two minute rundown. Eight inch head laceration. Enclosed broken collar bone, broken shoulder, broken forearm, all ribs on right side broken. Hip, knee and ankle intact and undamaged. Outside right thigh same lacerations as left forearm, probably from the dead cat. Tib/fib compound fracture. She’s soaking wet. I’m going to have to cut her jeans off up to her knees, remove her boots and then I’ll start putting the warmers and towels on her. Right now Major’s bellied up to her left side trying to warm her. IV’s in. Anything else you need to know?”
“No, I’ll call it in, continue to work on her and if you need anything call me back.” He hung up and actually hung his head to take several deep breaths. He looked at Grady and saw he was doing the same. They hugged each other then broke apart and grinned.
Amos took his phone and dialed.
“9-1-1, what is your emergency?”
“Who’s this?” Amos barked into the phone.
“Ah, Janet, sir.”
“Janet, this is Sheriff Amos Bronson, I need a medivac unit up on the PPP&J meadow.”
“Sheriff, where is that exactly?”
“Sorry, it’s above the Parker, Pennyworth, Patterson and Johnson ranches. Five miles up from their houses.”
“Do you have any information on the patient?”
“Yes, ready?”
“Go ahead, sir,” Janet said, and they could hear her typing as he rattled off the stats and injuries.
“Sir, I’ve dispatched the helicopter to your location. There’s a storm coming in and they’re an hour out.”
“Be careful, but hurry,” Amos said, and hung up the phone. He looked up and saw Maggie and the Larsons standing in the doorway. He noted that Eric and William had their arms wrapped around Maggie to hold her up. He rushed over to her and gently took her shoulders.
“She’s alive.”
“Thank god,” Maggie sighed, and it took the three of them to hold her up until she took several breaths, then it seemed like a steel rod fused to her spine.
“Tell me, how bad?” She looked at her friends and firmed her lips. “And don’t sugarcoat it, Amos.”
Amos took a deep breath and told her everything that Finn had told him and Grady. Once he was done, Maggie nodded, and asked. “Did you call for help?”
“I did. But a storm’s coming in and it could be at least an hour.”
“Okay, I’m going into Ronnie’s house and pack a bag for her. When Gerald gets back down here, we can head directly to the hospital. She’s going to be in there for some time.” She turned on her heel and walked away.
“That is one strong woman,” Eric said, as they watched her walk away.
“She is,” Amos and Grady said as one.
*****
